Idle Land Leasing Plan Pits Producers Against Ministry

September 18, 2026 · mersinhakimiyet.com

As the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry prepares to lease land uncultivated for two years, producer representatives argue that the real issues are not land scarcity but high costs and market access.

Leasing Process Initiated for Idle Lands

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has completed the technical studies for its initiative to bring idle agricultural lands, uncultivated for two consecutive years across Turkey, back into production and has moved to the official announcement phase. Within the scope of the regulation, which is being carried out with the 2026 production year as a target, the lands will be operated through seasonal leasing without any ownership transfer, and the revenue generated will be paid directly to the landowners. While the Ministry aims to increase total cultivated areas and yield with this step, producer representatives and experts have criticized the practice, stating that the decision does not align with the economic realities on the ground.

The Problem is Market, Not Production

Mersin Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Musa Yılmaz argued that there is no production deficit in Turkey and that the main issue is marketing inadequacy. Emphasizing that producers cannot sell their products at their true value, Mersin Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Musa Yılmaz made the following assessment:

'There is no production shortage in Turkey. That is, we do not have a deficit in any production category; we have a surplus. We cannot sell the products we produce. Recently, the public discourse has been solely about agriculture; supermarket prices, market prices, producer prices... I produce a product for 15 TL, I produce a peach for 15 TL; I sell it for 10 TL. Now, are the idle lands our problem right now? No.'

High Costs Leave Lands Idle

Stating that the reason for the lands remaining uncultivated is the increasing input costs and farmers incurring losses, Musa Yılmaz expressed that the state should investigate why these areas are left idle. Mersin Chamber of Agriculture Chairman Musa Yılmaz continued his remarks by stating that the mandatory leasing of fields will not benefit farmers:

'Why are the owners of those uncultivated lands not cultivating them? Why doesn't our state ask this? If the landowner could cultivate it and make money, they would cultivate it themselves. However, someone will rent it, cultivate it, and make money from it. There is no such thing. That is, this is an unnecessary practice. We have no deficit in production. Our problem is in the market for the products we produce. The farmer is not making money from the product they produce. They either let it go to waste, or intermediaries profit.'

Planning and Reference Price in Food Supply

Agricultural Engineer Mehmet Barut stated that the pandemic has proven the strategic importance of food supply and agricultural independence, and said the following on the matter:

'Especially during the pandemic period, after seeing how valuable agriculture is, how difficult it is to access agricultural products, and that countries that feed themselves from agriculture passed through the pandemic period in the strongest way, I think this is a legal provision planned by our Ministry of Agriculture regarding the supply of agricultural products and the public's access to them.'

Noting that uncontrolled production is crushing farmers, Agricultural Engineer Mehmet Barut issued the following warnings:

'But the real problem here is: Due to the lack of supervision in agriculture, particularly regarding planting and planting plans, the farmers engaged in this business are being crushed by costs. Because when the product is too abundant, and the market to sell it, the number of people to sell to, and the number of people to consume are fixed, unfortunately, this causes the citizens engaged in this business to be crushed even more. We want this: Agricultural lands must be used for agriculture. But we think it is more appropriate to produce with a reference price determined for at least the farmers' costs in terms of marketing the product before planting and sowing. Therefore, this situation, where the agricultural lands not cultivated for two consecutive years have benefits for our state, also leads to the crushing of the farmer group that produces and earns money from this business due to the surplus of product supply.'

Demand for Permits and Licensing in Agricultural Production

Comparing the lack of planning in the agricultural sector with the opening procedures for commercial enterprises, Agricultural Engineer Mehmet Barut stated that a similar permit mechanism should be implemented in agricultural areas. Criticizing uncontrolled planting, Agricultural Engineer Mehmet Barut made the following statement:

'Now, when opening workplaces of 30 square meters, 35 square meters, or even 10 square meters, one has to go to at least 8 or 10 institutions. You go to the municipality, you go to the tax office, you go to an accountant, you go, you go, you go. Therefore, this is subject to a permit. But when agricultural lands are cultivated, even if a person plants on 1000 decares or 5000 decares, unfortunately, because it is not included in this planning, it can be done very easily.'

Farming Needs to Reach Professional Standards

Noting that producers are struggling to generate income under current market conditions, Agricultural Engineer Mehmet Barut stated that farming should be recognized as a legal profession with standard regulations. Drawing attention to price fluctuations, Agricultural Engineer Mehmet Barut concluded his assessment with the following words:

'Currently, in the daily market, farmers are not making money from almost any agricultural product. Only recently, in specific crops like bananas, and even then, it was below cost until 15-20 days ago. Today it settled at 55 liras, but it has only recently started to make money. Here's the thing: When everyone plants agricultural lands in an unplanned manner, farmers are unfortunately unhappy about this. That is, one of the biggest problems in Turkey is that farming is not seen as a professional group. While a regular civil servant is prohibited from engaging in trade, unfortunately, they are allowed to plant a garden. The fact that it is planted in an unplanned manner everywhere related to this bothers farmers. It particularly bothers the group that derives income solely from farming.'

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